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How does the Google Pixel’s Night Sight match up to rivals?

Pixel 3 XL’s camera is put up against some of its leading rivals.

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This week Google began rolling out its highly-anticipated Night Sight feature to Pixel smartphones, which the company claims will enable people to take bright photos in dim-lit settings without using flash.

The mode is said to reveal the true beauty of photos by adapting to you and the environment using AI.

The best way to see how it performs is by comparing it to smartphone rivals in a very low-lit corridor.

This brief test was carried out using the latest smartphones on the market – the Google Pixel 3, iPhone XS Max, OnePlus 6T and Huawei Mate Pro 20 – utilising any low-lighting modes available and taken by hand without a tripod.

So, how did they perform?

Comparison of photos
Comparison of photos taken on the Pixel 3 XL, iPhone XS Max, Huawei Mate 20 Pro and OnePlus 6T (Jamie Harris/PA)

Despite the low lighting, the Pixel 3 XL’s Night Mode appears to expose the most amount of natural colour and brightness compared to the other three.

Google Pixel 3 XL photo
Example of a photo taken on the Google Pixel 3 XL (Jamie Harris/PA)

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro, which has its own dedicated Night mode, doesn’t look as bright but is the sharpest photo taken.

Huawei Mate 20 Pro photo
Example of a photo taken on the Huawei Mate 20 Pro (Jamie Harris/PA)

Meanwhile, the OnePlus 6T picks up a reasonable amount of light but has a yellow tinge and struggles with the finer detail.

OnePlus 6T photo
Example of a photo taken on the OnePlus 6T (Jamie Harris/PA)

And finally, the iPhone XS Max captures a decent amount of sharpness but looks very dark and washed out.

iPhone XS Max photo
Example of a photo taken on the iPhone XS Max (Jamie Harris/PA)

Verdict

From this small sample, Google’s Night Sight mode clearly makes a noticeable difference to photos in low-lighting environments, which helps make the Pixel 3’s camera one of the best on the market.

The fact it will roll out to older Pixel handsets makes it all the more compelling.

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